In the capital, hartal supporters blasted some crude bombs sporadically in Mirpur, Malibagh Chowdhurypara, Jatrabari and Tejgaon areas and vandalised at least a dozen vehicles. No injuries were reported
- Panic spreads in Ray Saheb Bazar area in Old Dhaka as unruly hartal supporters blast crude bombs during the second day of Jamaat-enforced countrywide 48-hour hartal yesterday
Photo- Mahmud Hossain Opu
The last day of the second-phase countrywide 48-hour hartal, enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami protesting the death sentence of its chief Matiur Rahman Nizami for war crimes during the 1971 Liberation War, passed off yesterday without major incidents of violence.
In the capital, hartal supporters blasted some crude bombs sporadically in Mirpur, Malibagh Chowdhurypara, Jatrabari and Tejgaon areas and vandalised at least a dozen vehicles. No injuries were reported.
Police arrested at least 26 Jamaat activists and some leaders of its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir from these areas. The arrestees also included activists from the Bibirbagicha, Dhanmondi, Dakkhinkhan areas who had some anti-war crimes tribunal and hefty Jihadi books with them.
In the Tejgaon industrial area, police found three crude bombs abandoned on a street around 8:30am which a bomb disposal team later defused.
In Hatirjheel, three Shibir activists were sentenced two months in jail by a mobile court for igniting a road by pouring petrol, said Ramna police station SI Md Manju.
Our Chittagong correspondent reports: There was no sign of hartal impact nor any untoward incident in the port city. Public life was as usual as a normal day.
Public transports and other vehicles were found plying the streets. Trains left the station without any disruption while the long-route buses had police protection.
Government, non-government offices and others business establishments remained open although the educational institutions were closed during the hartal considering the safety of the pupils.
In Sylhet, at least 37 Jamaat-Shibir activists were detained from the city and its adjacent areas by the SMP.
In Comilla, a clash ensued on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Chouddagram uapzila town around 10am when police tried to foil a blockade move of hartal supporters. The unruly activists exploded several crude bombs. Police fired about 25 rounds of rubber bullet to finally disperse them.
In Barisal, pro-hartal activists brought out sudden processions in Kawnia, C and B Road, Sagordi and Kashipur areas of the city and tried to block the road by felling trees. On being informed, police rushed to the spot and dispersed them, said Kotwali police station OC Shakhawat Hossain.
UNB reports: Jamaat-Shibir activists brought out processions in Charmatha, Upashahar and Sargram areas of the Bogra town in support of the hartal, whereas earlier, police arrested 14 activists from the town.
In Natore, pickets set fire to tyres on the Natore-Bogra highway and fled the spot.
The second phase of hartal ended at 6pm yesterday when the party had curtailed its ongoing shutdown for 12 hours to observe Ashura.
However, the party announced another 24-hour hartal for tomorrow protesting the Supreme Court verdict upholding the death penalty of International Crimes Tribunal 2 against its leader M Kamaruzzaman.
Earlier, Jamaat called another 24-hour hartal for Thursday protesting the death sentence to its leader and financier Mir Quasem Ali for committing crimes against humanity during the bloodiest Liberation War of 1971.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
